ALICE, now about 65 years old
FRANCIS, her grandson, about 7 years old
GILBERT DU MOTIER, the Marquis de Lafayette, now about 67 years old
ROBERT, the Hugers’ slave, now an elderly man

Thirty years later: the year 1825. Charleston. A spring afternoon. A sitting room with a few chairs, a settee, a few other pieces of furniture in the style of the period : a low table in front of the settee, Benjamin’s desk from the plantation house against the wall between two large windows, another small table stage left close to the door. Alice, now 65 years old, well dressed and coiffed, is seated in one of the chairs reading some letters. Through the windows, we see the roofline, some masts with raised sails. Francis, her grandson, is standing at the windows looking into the distance. Continue reading Act Two, Scene 5

This is the fourth scene of the second act of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

FRANCIS HUGER, now about 24 years old
GILBERT DU MOTIER, the Marquis de Lafayette, now about 37 years old
JUSTUS BOLLMANN, a German doctor, about 26 years old
Three Austrian soldiers

The year 1794. A wooded scene, early in the evening. On the horizon, the contours of a fort. Indistinct voices offstage, stage left. Francis, Justus and Gilbert appear, accompanied by a sergeant and two other soldiers wearing Austrian uniforms — dark green coats, white knickers — who follow several yards behind with a single horse. Continue reading Act Two, Scene 4

This is the third scene of the second act of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

The austere bed chamber from the previous scene. A lighted candlestick is on the nightstand beside the bed. The saber in its scabbard, still attached to the blue silk sash, lies on on the desk. Francis is sleeping. A soft, golden light illuminates the bed. Continue reading Act Two, Scene 3

This is the second scene of the second act of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

FRANCIS HUGER, now about 24 years old
ALICE, his cousin, now about 33 years old

Seventeen years later: the year 1794. The stage is divided. Stage left, an austere bedchamber, stone walls, a small bed against the wall. There is a desk in front of a window, through which we see a cityscape. The lighting is rather cool and blue. The sword in its scabbard, still attached to the blue silk sash, lies on the desk. Stage right is a salon, with a few chairs, a settee, a few other small items of furniture. Benjamin’s desk from the plantation house is in front of two windows through which we see a pastel-painted cityscape, a ship’s mast with folded sails. The lighting is rather warm, pink and orange.

When the curtain rises, Alice enters stage right and sits at the desk, looks out the window a long while, picks up a quill, and begins to write. Francis — now a young man — enters stage left, goes to the window and looks out for a short while, finally sits at his desk. He opens a letter. Continue reading Act Two, Scene 2

This is the first scene of the second act of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

BENJAMIN HUGER, plantation owner, about 35 years old
FRANCIS HUGER, his son, about 7 years old
ALICE, Francis’s cousin, about 16 years old
ROBERT, a slave
FERGUSON, a captain in the British Army
Several British and American soldiers

Image: A depiction of Andrew Jackson as a boy in 1780
defying a British officer.

This is the eighth scene of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

BENJAMIN HUGER, plantation owner, about 35 years old
FRANCIS HUGER, his son, about 7 years old
ALICE, Francis’s cousin, about 16 years old
FERGUSON, a captain in the British Army
Several British soldiers

This is the seventh scene of my play, A Sword Unsheathed, originally written in French and translated into English for publication on the blog. If you haven’t yet read the first scene, you can find it here. You can find all the scenes published so far on this page. The original French version of this scene is found at the end of the post. (Read in French.) Please read the historical note here.

BENJAMIN HUGER, plantation owner, about 35 years old
FRANCIS HUGER, his son, about 7 years old
ROBERT, a slave
GILBERT DU MOTIER, the Marquis de Lafayette, about 19 years old

The entry hall of the house, same set as scene 3, two weeks later at dusk. Benjamin is seated at his desk. Gilbert is seated in a chair across from him. The sword in its scabbard, still attached to the blue silk sash, is lying on the desk. The two are talking and smoking their pipes.Continue reading Act One, Scene 7

FRANCIS HUGER, about 7 years old
NATHANIEL HUGER, his brother, about 16 years old

The same evening. Francis’s bedroom: a bed stage left, two windows through which we see moonlight, the shadows of trees draped with Spanish moss. A lighted candlestick is on the nightstand beside the bed. Francis is sleeping. A soft, golden light illuminates the bed. Continue reading Act One, Scene 5